Sacrifice - A Star Wars Fanfic

Chapter 20

Vader's shuttle touched down on the docking bay of the Second Death Star, carrying the Dark Lord, Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, and the troopers who had accompanied them. It wasn't long before the ramp lowered and Vader strolled out, his prisoners being escorted behind him. The group walked quickly across the bay and towards the Emperor's personal elevator. The royal guards waited there like always, and Vader was glad to know they had learned their lesson from the first time as they let him pass.

From that point forward, Vader, Anakin, and Luke were alone inside the tightly-packed elevator. Luke shared a nervous look with Anakin, wondering exactly what the Emperor had planned. They could both only hope that Han, Leia, Chewie, and the others would deactivate the deflector shield quickly so the Rebellion could take out the colossus space station.

Would it really come to killing Vader? And how could he do that, especially with Anakin beside him? Besides, shouldn't he be focused on the Emperor and not his father? All the thoughts of death, the dark side, and the overly confusing time-travel made his head hurt and he looked to the ground with a moan, much to Vader and Anakin's notice.

The elevator ride was anything but short and it was almost a relief when the metal doors slid open. The relief was short-lived, however, when the ominous, dark throne room showed before them. The Emperor sat in his large throne, his back to all three of them as he stared smugly out of the giant viewport overlooking the Endor moon.

Vader bowed instantly, but Anakin and Luke remained frozen in defiance. The throne turned to face the visitors and the Emperor smiled sadistically. He motioned for Vader to rise, who did so without second thought.

"Welcome, young Skywalker." His malicious, golden eyes settled hungrily on Luke first, and Anakin felt a sudden surge of anger. Palpatine obviously felt it as he turned towards the time-traveling Jedi. "And Anakin Skywalker. Long time my boy."

Anakin simply snarled.

The Emperor just chuckled and gestured at the binders on both Luke and Anakin's hands. "You no longer need those."

The binders snapped off easily, both pairs clattering to the floor in the tense silence. Anakin and Luke blinked in surprise. How easily either of them could kill the Emperor now, crush his windpipe, watch him squirm...

But that's just what he wanted. He wanted Luke on the Dark Side and for Anakin to be corrupted enough so that when he returned to the past, he would still become Vader. Palpatine lavished in the control he had over both generations of men. And based on Anakin's constantly shifting emotions...he didn't know the whole story. How he got in the Vader suit, Kenobi's betrayal of him, his wife's demise...

Oh the leverage he could use...and maybe even get Anakin to kill Luke himself...oh what a wonderful twist that would be. But no. For now, his sole focus was not the other Skywalker.

Luke's second thought about the Emperor's reasoning behind releasing them was so that he could kill them outright. Give them hope and then yank the wool off their eyes. But he made no move to strike from his chair, and neither did Vader.

"Guards, leave us." The Emperor said, gesturing the red-cloaked Imperial guards to leave their stiff positions by the elevator doors. They did as instructed, leaving the two Jedi and two Sith to their devices.

Cold, golden eyes studied both Skywalkers hungrily, a strong essence of power flowing off both father and son. Palpatine wondered to himself who could have completed Luke's training. Surely not Anakin, he hadn't been here long enough...

He saw Luke squirm lightly under his scrutiny and chuckled lightly. So another Jedi had survived to train the boy...interesting. "I'm looking forward to completing your training. In time, you will call me Master."